Marginal



GRE Barron 考研

解释

GRE 红宝书

• adj. 书页空白处的; 不重要的
• ［英］ adj. 书页空白处的;不重要的 ( limited, minimal)
• ［记］ 来自margin ( 边缘) +al
• ［例］ a matter of marginal importance ( 微不足道的事情)

Webster Collegiate

adjective

• Etymology: Medieval Latin marginalis, from Latin margin-, margo
• Date: 1573
• 1. written or printed in the margin of a page or sheet <marginal notes>
• 2.
  • a. of, relating to, or situated at a margin or border
  • b. not of central importance <regards violence as a marginal rather than a central problem>; also limited in extent, significance, or stature <had only marginal success with the business>
  • c.
    • (1) occupying the borderland of a relatively stable territorial or cultural area <marginal tribes>
    • (2) characterized by the incorporation of habits and values from two divergent cultures and by incomplete assimilation in either <the marginal cultural habits of new immigrant groups>
    • (3) excluded from or existing outside the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought <marginal voters>
• 3. located at the fringe of consciousness <marginal sensations>
• 4.
  • a. close to the lower limit of qualification, acceptability, or function ; barely exceeding the minimum requirements <a semiliterate person of marginal ability>
  • b.
    • (1) having a character or capacity fitted to yield a supply of goods which when marketed at existing price levels will barely cover the cost of production <marginal land>
    • (2) of, relating to, or derived from goods produced and marketed with such result <marginal profits>
• 5. relating to or being a function of a random variable that is obtained from a function of several random variables by integrating or summing over all possible values of the other variables <a marginal probability function>
• ? marginality noun
• ? marginally adverb

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